Wagner Moura: biography and filmography

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

Wagner Moura is a Brazilian actor, producer, screenwriter, director and musician. He became famous in his homeland thanks to the crime thriller "Elite Squad" and its sequel. He became known internationally after starring in the big-budget sci-fi blockbuster "Elysium" in a striking supporting role and for his work in the TV series "Narcos".

Childhood and youth

Wagner Moura was born in the small city of Salvador, in the northeastern region of Brazil. His father was a sergeant in the military aviation, so the family moved quite often.

After graduating from high school, Moura entered the University of Bahia, graduating with a degree in journalism. However, immediately after graduation, he decided to devote himself to another profession.

Acting career

One of Wagner Moura's first films, he immediately gained recognition at home and abroad. The romantic comedy The Woman on Top, starring Penélope Cruz, was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and had a limited release in North America. Moura himself played the role of the secondplan.

After that, for several years he mainly appeared in television projects, starring in several successful Brazilian series.

In 2007, starred in the crime thriller "Elite Squad", which unexpectedly won the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival and became an international hit.

During filming, the actors were trained by real police and military training specialists. The director asked the chief of them to add cruelty to Moura's character, he decided to achieve this with verbal threats and insults. When he decided to threaten the actor's family, he broke the military nose, after which the director was satisfied with Wagner's acting work.

In 2010, Wagner Moura played in the sequel to the film "Elite Squad: The Enemy Within". In 2013, he appeared as a character named Spider in Neill Blomkamp's sci-fi film Elysium, opposite Matt Damon and Jodie Foster.

In 2015, Wagner Moura got the role of the famous Colombian drug lord Pablo Exobar. For the project, the actor had to learn Spanish in a short time and gain eighteen kilograms. Efforts were not in vain, the series became a real hit, and Moura received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award in the category "Best Actor in a Drama Series".

After two seasons, the actor left the series and is now staging his directorial debut "Marigella", to which he also wrotescript based on the famous Brazilian novel.

Private life

In 2001, Wagner Moura married journalist and photographer Sandra Delgado. The couple has three sons. In his spare time, Wagner practices meditation and is the frontman of the musical group Sua Mae.